Grammy-winning songwriter Olivia Nervo has called for reproductive coercion to be made a standalone offence in England and Wales, after she says she was deceived into pregnancy by her former partner. Nervo, one half of the DJ duo Nervo, discovered at six months pregnant that her partner, New Zealand businessman Matthew Pringle, was in another relationship with a woman who was also pregnant.
Nervo fought a lengthy court battle in London against Pringle, but the court declined to make a finding on reproductive coercion. Labour MP Natalie Fleet, who led a parliamentary debate on the issue last month, said the legal system in England and Wales “still struggles to recognise” the concept.
“If you deceive someone into having a child, you just fall between the cracks,” Nervo said. “I would love it to be a standalone offence, but I understand that’s a big wish.” A 2022 poll of 1,000 women aged 18 to 44 found 50% believed they had experienced some form of reproductive coercion.
Reproductive coercion is currently recognised as a form of coercive control under the Serious Crime Act. However, Professor Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson of UCL said that without its own offence, it gets overlooked in the criminal justice system. “I have tons of women who contact me who say: ‘This happened to me but I never spoke about it because I was so ashamed’,” she said.
In Nervo’s case, Pringle proposed a £20m trust fund and a £3m property for their daughter, but negotiations stalled over Nervo’s use of social media. The court found that Pringle’s legal action was partly motivated to protect his privacy and reputation. Nervo continues to campaign for legal change.
